The Wedding Guest
by Miss92
Summary: The day Petunia is getting married Lily is awaiting her guest, but will this guest come?


**The Wedding Guest**

It was a cold night, especially, when you took into account that it was the middle of July and that the day prior to this night the papers had reported that people – most of the time people over eighty – were dying because of the suffocating heat. It was five o'clock in the morning and she was hanging out of the window, scanning the street once more. She could see no one, partly because of the fog that hung low over the streets. When she narrowed her eyes she could just make out the street lantern in front of her window.

A car was heard driving down the street, but the fog made it difficult to see which one of her neighbours left. She crawled back into her room and closed the window. She could hear her mother scuffling around in the hallway and she vaguely heard the radio that her father was listening to.

"People's safety is the most important thing on the political agenda right now… all the strange murders… no clue who did this… police officers say they are suspecting some kind of gang is the cause of the national terror… it has serious effects…"

She could only hear bits of the news and sighed while she shook her head at the same time. Luckily, the muggles were oblivious to the fact that there was a dangerous wizard with his so called 'gang' behind all the attacks and murders all over the country. But, of course, her family knew the real reason for all the attacks. She had seen her parents' scared looks whenever they opened the newspaper and found out about another attack and she had seen Petunia's disapproving looks more than once.

"Dad," she then heard Petunia say, "will, you please turn the radio off?" She heard how the newsreader on the radio was cut off and then heard her sister's voice again. "Thank you, it's making me feel awfully nervous and I'm nervous enough as it is."

"Of course, sweetheart," said her father, but she could hear the slightly grumpy tone in his voice and she smiled. Her father always listened to the radio when he woke up in the morning and he was most likely not pleased that he wasn't allowed to do that on his oldest daughter's big day. Especially, since it was five in the morning.

"Are you awake, Lily?" she heard the kind voice of her mother say and then her mother's head popped into her room. Her mother was wearing curlers in her hear and wore a kind, but tired smile around her lips. "Oh, good," her mother then said and walked in, "have you seen the weather? Petunia, thank heavens, hasn't looked out of the window yet."

She smiled slightly and thought about the panicked reaction her sister would most likely give when she noticed it was foggy on 'her day'.

"Can't you just flick your magic stick and make the sun shine? You know what your sister is like…"

"It's a wand, mum," she said kindly and then sent her mother an apologetic smile, "and I'm afraid it doesn't work that way." Her mother nodded and shrugged as if to say 'oh, well'. "Can I use the bathroom now or is Petunia needing it?"

Her mother was about to answer when she heard her sister let out an exasperated screech. "Mother!" Lily and her mother both walked into the hallway to see what Petunia was fretting about and found Petunia look out of the window. "Do you see that? It's a complete disaster!"

Lily was about to roll her eyes, but stopped herself just in time. She didn't want to make her sister to start hyperventilating, a habit that she had picked up while planning her 'perfect' day. Lily had already been the cause of three hyperventilating sessions and she didn't want to wake up Petunia's wrath again.

"What are we going to do, mum?" Petunia asked as she started pacing the length of the hallway. "It was supposed to be perfectly sunny today, they said so on the news and what happens? We have to cancel it!"

"Petunia!" her mother said sternly and held Petunia's arms, kindly shaking Petunia. "We are not cancelling your wedding just because the weather isn't perfect and I'm sure it will clear up!"

"But what if it doesn't, mother?" asked Petunia and she shook herself out of her mother's grip. "I'm going to the bathroom. I need a very long shower."

Petunia walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Lily shook her head and her mother only let out a heavy sigh. "Wedding stress," her mother said and sent Lily a smile. "I'm going to check on the cake. I want it to be perfect."

Her mother walked down the stairs and left Lily on the second floor. She looked around and heard the shower running in the bathroom. She just had to wait for a few more minutes before she could shower herself.

A loud bang was heard from her parent's room and she heard her father swear loudly. She smiled slightly as she walked into the room and her smile widened when she saw her father bouncing up and down, holding his right foot.

"What did you do, dad?" she asked and had to stop herself from laughing at the hilarious sight of her father bouncing up and down.

He looked up with a slightly exasperated look on his face. "I didn't do anything! That damn closet moved again, I swear!"

Lily shook her head and walked towards her father, gently pushing him down on the bed and motioning for him to let go of his foot, so she could have a look at it. Three of his toes were bright red and she bit her lip as she pulled her wand out of her pyjama pants and muttered a quick healing spell.

Her father looked at her with a surprised look on his face and she smiled up at him and shrugged. "I figured you didn't want to look silly when walking Petunia down the aisle today." She then chuckled lightly. "Petunia would hate it for sure!"

Her father let out a low chuckle and set his foot down on the floor again. "Thank you, Lily," he said and he placed a kiss on her forehead. "I appreciate the thing you did with your… _wand_… to heal my toes."

She shook her head at her father and chuckled slightly. Her parents would never get used to the fact that she carried a wand with her at all times and that she could perform some really handy 'tricks' with them. She knew that her parents were very proud that she could perform those 'tricks', though, and that they would love to brag about it to other members of the family, but it was too much of a risk to tell such a thing to too many people.

"Are you excited about the wedding?" her father asked. Lily looked up at him and shrugged while she smiled.

"I don't know," she said and her father frowned slightly at her, "I'm very excited about how beautiful Petunia will look, though, and I'm very excited for her."

Her father smiled and stood up from the bed. His hair was getting greyer and thinning considerably, but when she looked at him she still felt the pride she had felt when she was younger and this made Lily smile. 'He's my daddy, isn't he the best?' She remembered saying that once when her father had won a bowling contest and she still thought he was the best. He was her dad after all and nothing could ever change that.

"Did Petunia allow you to invite someone over today?" her father asked casually as he walked towards the closet again, this time without hitting his toe, and opened the doors to grab his best suit.

She felt a blush creep up her cheeks and she looked at her hands. She still sat on the floor and could feel her father's gaze burning into the side of her head. "Uhm… yeah" she said and looked up at her father, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, "I-I invited a friend."

"A friend?" her father asked, he had raised his eyebrows and then sent her a smile. "A magical friend?" She grinned and nodded. "That's interesting. I'm looking forward to meeting this friend of yours."

She swallowed and smiled again. "Yeah," she said and then bit her lip, "I'm not sure if my friend is coming though. It's kind of hard to get here now all the magical ways to travel are kind of forbidden. It's a precaution."

Her father's face was serious for a moment as he took the information in. "Well," he then said and threw his suit on the bed, something her mother would have found awful, "I hope this friend of yours is able to come." He was quiet for a while and then smiled warmly. "Is it, by any chance, the girl you were always talking about? Alice?" She again felt her cheeks warm up. "She is your best friend, isn't she?"

"Yeah," she said and looked at her hands again, "I didn't invite her though."

"Oh?" she could hear the surprise in her father's voice and she looked up at him. His eyes were scanning her and he seemed to take in her blush for the first time. "Oh… it's a boy?"

She chewed on the insides of her cheeks and then nodded. "Yeah," she said, "he is a boy."

"That's unexpected," her father then said and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Is it?" she asked nervously and she saw the emotions wash over her father's face. He didn't seem to be pleased that his youngest daughter was bringing a boy to his oldest daughter's wedding and in a way she understood. He was losing one of his girls already and now there was another boy stealing one of his other girls away from him?

"It is," her father said seriously, "I never heard you talk about a boy before."

"Well," she said and felt the blush return, "I'm eighteen, dad."

"I know that," he said, but his face still wore a serious expression, "but… you are still my little Lily." He shook his head and she felt her eyes burn. "But… it's natural, I suppose."

She stood up and wrapped her arms around her dad. "I'll always be your Lily, dad," she said softly and then chuckled, "I'm not the one who's getting married today. I'm not even sure if we – the boy and I – are an item, to be honest."

"Oh," her father said and Lily pressed a kiss on his cheek.

"Get dressed before Petunia and mum freak out on you!"

With those words she walked out of the room and made her way to the bathroom. The door wasn't locked anymore and the shower had stopped running. She took this as a good sign and walked in.

After having had a nice and warm shower she walked to her room. With a flick of her wand she dried her hair and then she pulled out the dark blue and strapless dress that she was going to wear for the day. It was six thirty already and she could hear her sister fretting around in the other room. Their mother was most likely doing Petunia's hair, since Lily heard Petunia moan in pain several times. Their mother had never been one to treat her daughters as though they were porcelain dolls.

She put on her dress and then did her hair. She put it up in an elegant knot that she had been practicing on for a few days now. Only, because she had been bored. At least, that was what she had been telling herself, but secretly she had wanted to look her very best just in case… he actually came.

She felt the butterflies in her stomach living up again as she thought about him and she immediately regretted it, because if he didn't come she knew she'd be terribly disappointed and the chance that he wouldn't come was rather big. He had owled her just a few days before that he might not be able to make it and she could still remember the huge disappointment that she had felt when she had read those words in his awful handwriting.

She shook her head and put on her golden heels. Her sister had insisted all the guests wore golden accessories, because it would match with the golden ribbons that she had put up around the garden.

She walked out of the room and walked into her sister's where her mother was doing Petunia's hair. "Oh, you look lovely, Lily," her mother said when she looked up and sent Lily a bright smile. "Don't you think she looks lovely, Petunia?"

Petunia's eyes went into Lily's direction and her look darkened. "She looks all right to me."

Their mother ignored Petunia's cold reply and tried another subject. "Lily," her mother said with a twinkle in her eyes, "did I hear your father say something about a young man coming to the wedding as your guest?"

She sucked in a bit of air and saw the eyes of Petunia widen at their mother's words. "There is a young man coming? Lily, why didn't you inform me?"

"I told you I invited someone to your wedding…" Lily said quietly and looked at the golden heels on her feet.

"But you never said anything about a boy!"

"Petunia," their mother said in a calming tone, "please, don't spoil this for your sister. You told her she could invite someone and she did."

"But what if this boy isn't going to behave himself!"

"He will," Lily then said and she felt her cheeks warm up a bit, "he's a perfect gentleman and he will not ruin your day, Petunia and… I don't even know if he's coming."

This seemed to lighten Petunia's mood as a smile appeared on her face. "Well, that's just perfect," she said brightly, "I hope he doesn't come then."

Lily's eyes again flew back to her feet and she could feel her mother's gaze on her face, but she didn't look up. She didn't want to be alone on the wedding. She didn't even know most of the guests that were coming in the first place and that's why she had been really happy that Petunia let her invite someone to the wedding. Though she suspected Petunia had only done this, so that she wouldn't annoy her.

"I truly hope he's coming, Lily," said their mother and she sighed, "I can't believe it. Look at you, are you two truly my little girls?" Lily now looked up and sent her mother a smile. "You both are so very beautiful, on the outside and on the inside."

"Especially Petunia," Lily added as she looked at her sister. She was still wearing her nightgown, but in a few minutes their mother and Lily would help Petunia get dressed. "You'll be a beautiful bride, Tuney."

Petunia smiled slightly as she stood up and made her way to the bed where her white dress lay. "I feel beautiful when I'm wearing this dress," Petunia said and then let out a contented sigh. "Oh, it feels so good to finally get married!"

Lily smiled as her mother frantically told Petunia to hurry up for their family would arrive in an hour and Vernon's family would arrive in two hours. Lily helped her mother dress her sister and she felt a happy feeling fill her when she saw the look in Petunia's eyes when she stood in front of the mirror and kept saying: "It's today. I'm really getting married."

An hour later her uncles and aunts were in the living room, laughing together and telling Petunia how beautiful she looks. She is serving them cake and coffee and her uncles sent her winks or make witty comments while her aunts tell her that she looks so vulnerable, but so beautiful at the same time. "You are the perfect porcelain doll, darling," said her aunt Laurie.

She sends them all smiles and laughs at some of the comments that her uncles make, but she can't stop thinking about the fact that he isn't there yet and that it meant that he most likely wouldn't come. And she can't help but feel the disappointment wash over her and she feels her heart break somewhat.

Vernon's family arrives and they're all telling Petunia that she is the most perfect bride on the earth and they are throwing their coats and hats in Lily's arms. Vernon will arrive in fifteen minutes and the ceremony will start soon after. Everyone was ready, even the priest already stood in the garden, arranging his things and looking up at the sky contentedly, most likely thanking God for the wonderful weather he gave them.

Everything passes in a whiff. Vernon arrives and beams with pride when he sees Petunia and for this one time Lily even likes him, because she finally realises that he does appreciate her sister. Then they're all suddenly in the garden and Petunia is walking down the aisle with their father, who isn't limping and Vernon and Petunia give each other their yeses and kiss soon after.

"It was absolutely wonderful!" she hears one of her aunts exclaim as she makes her way through the crowd. Everyone is celebrating each other and Petunia and Vernon. Some of her aunts are wiping away the tears that had run down their cheeks during the ceremony and her uncles are all laughing together, saying that Vernon was a good catch and had great potential.

And she supposed he was a good catch for her sister and she was very happy for her sister, but she couldn't help but resent her somewhat as well and she felt horrible for it. If only he had been here, she thought, if he had been here she had been sure that they were something. That they were an item and that he truly loved her and cared about her well-being. But she supposed he didn't really mean everything he had said when they were still at school. He must have grown tired of her and she really couldn't blame him. But she had wished that he would come and that he would tell her that he loved her more than anything.

For the hundredth time she wished that she had told him she really wanted to be with him as in for the rest of her life, but she hadn't been clear to him and he hadn't been clear to her. They had fooled around a bit at school; kissing during patrols and sneaking glances during classes, dinners and so on. But they had never been serious about anything. Not really.

"Lily, we're taking a picture!"

She looked up to see her mother waving at her and she walked towards the group of people that were all smiling and laughing and having a great time. Petunia was glowing and holding Vernon's hand in hers, as though she didn't want to let go ever again.

The picture was taken and she felt a bit dizzy as all the people around her started to congratulate her, because her sister was married. "This must be a wonderful day for you, to see your sister so happy!" She sent people fake smiles and pushed her way out of the crowd. Her head was spinning.

And then she saw him. He leaned against a wall and was sending her a bright grin. Her heart stopped beating for a while and then she woke up again and ran towards him, impulsively wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled in her ear as he pulled her close to him by wrapping his arms around her waist, "I just couldn't figure out the train and was terribly lost."

She laughed loudly as she leaned back and looked at his face. His hazel eyes shone warmly behind his glasses and his black hair stood at every angle possible, but she didn't care. It was part of his charm anyway and he looked devilishly handsome. She knew her mother would agree.

"I thought you wouldn't come," she said quietly and he raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" he asked and he laughed. "You were wrong then. I would have gone to China if your sister had decided to marry there. Anything to see you."

She smiled and pressed her lips against his. He eagerly responded and for a few seconds it was only them, but then she heard someone cough from behind her and she let go off her man to turn around and find her parents smiling at her.

"Well," her father said and he smiled, "who are you?"

James let go off her and stepped towards her parents, reaching out his hand. "I'm James Potter, sir," he said as he shook her father's hand and she could see that her father liked him and that her mother loved him and she linked her arm in his, holding him close to her.

James looked at her and grinned at her as he made her parents a compliment for raising such a wonderful daughter. Arrogant toerag, she thought as she rolled her eyes, but she decided that she quite liked arrogant toerags.

"Well," her mother said and smiled at her with a twinkle in her eyes, "we will leave you two alone for a bit, so you two can catch up."

Her parents left and James turned towards her again, intertwining their fingers and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "I missed you so much, Lily," he breathed out and she smiled. She had missed him too. More than she had ever missed anyone else. "Let's stop being apart," he then said and she smiled brightly and nodded eagerly.

And they kissed.

**Author's Note: **Well, I hope you all liked this one and thank you so much for taking the time to read this one! I really enjoyed writing it. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


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